The Tale of the Duck
by Maruading Storyteller
Summary: Has it really been two years? It seems that this place hasn't changed one bit since I was last here...oh well, let's get this over with... stepping towards the door before him, he reached out pressing the doorbell. It was time to face his past...
1. Prologue: It's Over

The Tale of the Duck

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A/N- Ah...yet another fic! I love writting! Anyway, this will be my first Ranma Fan Fiction so I hope it works. 

I also do not own Ranma 1/2 so no sues! Get me?!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this!

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Prologue: It's Over

The mud was cold and slimy, rubbing his eyes franticly, Mousse struggled to sit up.

'_I don't understand what went wrong, I had Ranma right where I wanted him, but he still beat me. What is it that I keep doing wrong?_'

While Mousse busied himself with cleaning his glasses, he failed to notice the angered Amazon behind him. An Amazon, that just so happened to have a bucket of ice cold water.

"Quack!"

Having dropped his glasses mid transformation, Mousse was now completely blind to his surroundings. Using this to her advantage, Shampoo gripped Mousse by the neck while gathering his glasses as well, "Dumb Mousse, Shampoo no want you, Shampoo want Ranma why can't you get through skull?!"

"Q…uaaackkk…" struggling in Shampoo's grip, Mousse tried to see her and only ended failing miserably. Giving up after a few moments of thrashing about, Mousse waited for what always came next.

This, after all, was their typical routine.

Shampoo would take him back to the Nekohanten and tie him to a table while teasing him with that night's dinner. Then, after an hour or two, Cologne would free him and return him to his human form. About a week would pass before Ranma would walk in the doors and Shampoo would go flying after him, causing Mousse to chase after them demanding to challenge Ranma, which he would and then be beaten as always. The cycle would then repeat from there, just as it always had.

But Mousse was in for a rude awakening this time, when Shampoo carried Mousse him home with her, she tied him to the table again but didn't tease him. Instead she just sat there staring at him until she disappeared for a few moments after returning his glasses, when she returned she was holding a box and packaging tape, her expression unreadable.

Mousse looked up at her, hope and slight confusion shining within his eyes, but Shampoo only set the box down and then untied Mousse.

"Stupid Mousse, you cause trouble many time, now you go home!"

Before Mousse could even react, Shampoo stuffed him into the box with a change of his clothes and shut the lid, he heard the sounds of the tape being used to seal the box with him inside.

Mousse struggled within the box, his panic building as he tried to get out, which he found completely useless. Curling up as best he could, Mousse waited to see what would happen with great distress and soon fell into a deep sleep, not knowing what was going on with the outside world.

When Mousse finally awoke he found that he was no longer within the box but in a plain looking room, one that seemed strangely familiar, '_it's my room…I…I'm home?_'

He was about to voice his thoughts, when a noise at his side caught his attention, whirling, Mousse stuttered to a halt when he saw his mother and three little sisters standing in the doorway while smiling ruefully down at him.

'_Wait a minute…down at me? Oh no!_' A loud quack came from his mouth and he hung his head in total defeat, '_I'm still in my cursed form…_'

A gentle touch on his side caused him to look up again, his mother was kneeling next to him, "it's alright Mousse…Natski, Natsu, Natren, please fetch me some water and heat it. You're brother and I have to speak."

Immediately, all three of his sisters scurried from the room, leaving him and his mother sitting alone. Mousse looked up at his mother expectantly but she only gave him a solid stare before she turned to look at the still open door.

"Mousse…why…why do you chase after that girl so? You know by law and by her own heart that she will never return your feelings…so please…let it go…" his mother's voice was low and broke slightly, it was apparent that she had been dwelling upon this a lot and that it hurt her terribly.

A crash sounded nearby and Mousse knew that his sisters would be back at any moment to enable him to transform back, but as he looked up at his mother, he knew that she was right and that he had been completely selfish this whole time.

'_I can't believe that I have been so foolish as to worry my own mother so…yes…I must give up my pursuit of Shampoo, she could never love me…_' but as Mousse thought this, he felt that he was somehow off from the truth of the matter. As his sisters came barreling into the room carting a swaying pot of hot and steaming water, Mousse shook off that thought, shoving it away as just a pathetic excuse his mind was concocting to keep him from giving up on Shampoo after such a long time.

When his sisters neared him, they all worked together to tip the pot over, feeling the change take place Mousse knew that a new chapter in his life had now begun.

Two years later…

It was just as he remembered it, walking towards the building before him, Mousse shook his head ruefully. He still couldn't believe that it had been two whole years since he had last been here, letting out a sigh, he approached the door and pressed the doorbell.

It was time that he face his past and finally put it behind him, but as he was soon to find out, it wouldn't be as easy as he first thought it would.

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A/N- There it is! Anyway, the first chapt is already half done, so it should be up soon, so I hope you guys look foreward to it! Ja! 


	2. Chapter 1: A New Friendship

The Tale of the Duck

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A/N- Hey! It's been a while huh? Anyway, I hope this chapt works for yah guys! I have dedicated this to my best friend in the whole world! Happy 19th Jenn!!

Disclaimer- Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, I can only play with the characters, T.T Sniffle, anyway, I don't own anything but the plot and story...

Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: A New Friendship

After a moment the door slid open, Kasumi had been brewing some tea when she heard the doorbell but when she opened the door, what she saw caused her to drop the pot that was in her hand.

"Mousse!"

From the look of things, these last two years had been good on him. Kasumi couldn't help it as her eyes began registering all the differences that she could see, indeed, Mousse had changed a lot from when she had last seen him.

His face had leaned out and from the way his zip-up jacket hugged his form, his body had too. His hair was fastened back in a rather high ponytail and he was wearing a pair of plain button down jeans, upon his feet were some laced up running shoes but what caught Kasumi's eyes the most was the fact that Mousse wasn't wearing glasses, yet he was interacting with her without any problems what so ever.

She watched in awe as Mousse caught the pot and stood, he smiled gently at her, "hello Miss. Tendo, it's been a while…umm, do you know where Ranma is, I'd like to speak with him if I could."

Quickly taking the pot from Mousse, Kasumi smiled embarrassedly, "Oh! Uh…Kasumi, please…umm Ranma is out at the moment, but if you want…I will keep you company…" Mousse could only continue to smile at the kind tone in Kasumi's voice, her eyes were gentle and an equally gentle smile graced her lips, it seemed that some people never changed.

"I'd love to, I know you have lots of things you would like to ask me and I would like to do the same…after all, it's been two years and we never really talked then. I really regret that…"

Kasumi stepped to the side as she motioned for Mousse to enter which he did, once they both were inside, they both sat down and began to talk and what Mousse told Kasumi shocked her.

"So…you're no longer cursed?" Kasumi lead Mousse into the kitchen, she had decided to prepare some rice balls for lunch, since it would be a couple hours before Ranma and Akane returned from school.

Mousse let a gentle smile cross his lips, reaching down he sild down the zipper of his jacket, once he had completely removed it and set it upon the ground nearby he turned to face Kasumi again. The look on her face was priceless, her eyes were wide and a slight blush stained her cheeks as she appraised the way Mousse dark blue t-shirt showed off his rather muscular chest, "yes…that and as you can see, I have no more need to wear glasses…thank goodness for that."

Her blush deepening, Kasumi smiled at Mousse's gentle words, "that is good to hear…but…ummm…" raising an eyebrow as he removed his watch, Mousse peered at Kasumi out of the corner of his eye as he walked towards the fridge. "Yes?"

Shaking her head, Kasumi moved after him and came to a stop at his side, "I just wanted to know why you took off your jacket and now removed your watch…"

A soft chuckle passed Mousse's lips, "I'm going to help you prepare the rice balls…after all, I am the guest here, so I need to earn my stay…don't you think?"

Kasumi immediately brightened at that, no one had ever offered to help her before…well, with the exception of Akane trying to cook something for Ranma but that didn't count.

"Thank you Mousse…I am very grateful for your help but…I am curious, I thought that men only cooked when they had to…"

Opening the fridge, Mousse pulled out the leftover rice and some pickled plums plus some other flavorings, "true, but over the past two years I have been all by myself and had to cook everything myself, at first I found it troublesome and annoying. But I found that I actually have a knack for cooking, it has a calming effect on me and makes thinking much easier."

Setting the bowl of rice and other ingredients upon the counter, Mousse removed the lids and took out a big scoop of rice, "anytime that I need time to think or make a decision…I cook," Mousse could already feel himself relaxing as he molded the rice ball in his palm.

"I see…I find the same comfort in cooking as well and I want to let you know, you are welcome to come here and cook with me as much as you want Mousse, in fact I hope you will…it does get rather lonely here while everyone is out…" as Kasumi's voice trailed off, Mousse turned towards her to find that Kasumi was shaking as silent tears flowed down her cheeks.

Kasumi didn't know what had come over her, but as she watched Mousse molding the first of what was to be many rice balls, she couldn't hold it in any longer and the dam that she had took the time to build about herself broke. She didn't know why, but somehow she felt that she could show this side of herself to Mousse, his presence and friendliness made Kasumi feel like she was the safest person in the whole world…and with that tears that had been long overdue began to fall.

Immediately Mousse placed the rice ball onto the counter and pulled Kasumi into his arms, wrapping her within his protective and comforting embrace, "if that is the case Kasumi, I would love too. After all, what are friends for?"

At that Kasumi raised her head and gave Mousse a teary smile, "thank you Mousse, I really need a friend…ever since mother died, I've been all alone it seems even with father, my sisters, Mr. Saotome and Ranma. There's never been someone that I could sit down and talk with, I am glad you came back Mousse, its good not to be alone."

Chuckling to himself, Mousse used one of his sleeves to clear away all of Kasumi's tears after he was done he released her and shoved her towards the counter, "so true, but I believe that we have some unfinished business to attend to, ne?"

Kasumi smiled at Mousse's playful tone and started to laugh at herself, "Yes…you're right, let's get to it, shall we?" Mousse began to laugh as well, "By all means, lets."

Time flew by as Mousse and Kasumi talked, they had finished making the rice balls and decided that they wanted to cook more so they went on making cookies, rice cakes, pocky, and in the end, they had decided to heck with it and made dinner.

It had just entered the afternoon hours when the doorbell was heard and a very interesting discussion of Mousse's worldly travels was brought to a halt, a sad look crossed Kasumi's face as she got to her feet to go and answer the door, she had been enjoying the company of her new best friend and was worried that he might leave now that someone had shown up.

But as Kasumi neared the door she heard Mousse's footsteps behind her and turned to find that Mousse had taken the liberty of washing the dishes, a smile lit Kasumi's face at that, it meant that Mousse wasn't going anywhere for a little while longer.

Happy with this turn of events, Kasumi opened the door and was surprised at what greeted her eyes.

Before her stood a steaming Akane, a smug Nabiki, and a female Ranma, "welcome home, what happened?"

Nabiki smirked as she strode inside only to freeze once she was in seeing distance of the kitchen, Akane ignored Kasumi completely as she gripped Ranma by the pigtail and stormed inside, dragging a wincing Ranma after her. But as they got to where Nabiki stood, they froze as well, all three pairs of eyes were trained on the kitchen and Kasumi let out a dejected sigh as she shut the door. The day was about to get very hectic.

Striding past her sisters and Ranma, Kasumi walked into the kitchen and smiled as Mousse handed a towel to her, Kasumi started to silently count down from three as she took up a place next to Mousse and began to dry the dishes that he handed to her.

'_three…two…one…_'

"What the heck is going on here Kasumi?!" Came the angered voice of Akane.

"Yeah…who is this hunk?" That was of course Nabiki's comment, the girl had eyes for anything male and muscular.

"M…Mousse?!" Now that caused Kasumi to stop drying the bowl she had in her hands and Mousse from washing a plate, they both turned to lay their stunned eyes upon a very uncomfortable and embarrassed looking Ranma.

"What do you mean Mousse? It can't be…he…" Akane's eyes widened as she recognized a face she hadn't seen in over two years, she just couldn't believe her eyes.

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A/N- Evil cliffy isn't it?! Sorry…it's just that the chapter was getting way too long and so I decided to divide it in half. The next chapter is about a 1/3 finished, but it's actually coming along really well…right now I have very bad writers block and I had to take a slight break from my other fics to sort of cool off…but I will still be continuing them, so no worries! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and see yah next time! Ja Ne! 


	3. Chapter 2: Welcome Home?

The Tale of the Duck

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A/N- Hey all! Long time no see huh?

Sorry about the really long wait on this, I was in a sort of bind when working on it and that made it harder to finish.

But anyway, I don't own Ranma 1/2. If I did then Akane would be dead, as would a lot of the other character's.

I hope you guys like this chapt...

'_Thoughts_'

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Chapter 2: Welcome Home?

Seeing the shocked and confused looks in all their eyes, Mousse schooled his face into a pleasant expression as he gave a slight nod of his head, "hello Akane, Nabiki..." Locking his eyes with the wide blue one's of Ranma, Mousse let a smirk curl his lips, "Ranma."

Ranma visibly shivered at the way Mousse's voice washed over her form and suddenly she felt very hot, a blush rose upon her cheeks and Ranma turned away from the look that Mousse was giving her. "What are you doing here...I...I thought that you had left and were never coming back..."

Putting down the dish in his hands, Mousse turned to face them all completely while leaning back against the countertop, "I have some unfinished business with you Ranma and I intend to settle it before I go anywhere, but before that, go take a bath and then hurry down. Dinner's almost ready."

Having said his piece, Mousse turned back to the dishes and began to dry them again. Kasumi blinked a couple times before she smiled and joined him.

Akane and Nabiki could only stare in confusion as they were practically ignored. Ranma on the other hand, felt his body shake as she studied Mousse's form closely, all the while wondering silently to herself, '_what is this? Why do I feel this way?...what could he possibly wish to settle with me?...oh...it must be Shampoo..._'

Feeling incredibly foolish, Ranma turned and made her way past Akane and Nabiki, she soon found herself in the bathroom and with a splash of hot water he returned to his normal male form. Dressing, he made his way back downstairs, just wanting to get this all over with already.

Upon entering the kitchen, he found that everyone was gone, so he made his way into the living room and found that everyone was already seated. They each had a full plate of food and seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

As Ranma let his eyes scan the area for an open seat, he was surprised when his eyes once again met the knowing one's of Mousse. The Amazonian had apparently thought ahead already because right next to him was the only other open seat in the whole room.

Gulping, Ranma steeled himself as he stomped over and plopped down as far from Mousse as he could, in which he ended up with his leg sandwiched against Mousse's underneath the table. He was about to reach for the nearest dish when a full plate of food was set down right in front of him.

His brows knitting in confusion, Ranma turned to find the person who did this and found that it was once again Mousse. It seemed that the man was extremely determined to remain close to him, at least until they had settled whatever it was that Mousse wished to settle.

Shaking that thought off, Ranma dug into his food, he might be suspicious of Mousse's strange behavior but he wasn't suspicious enough to not eat.

He had only taken but a few bites and couldn't help but stare in awe at Mousse, this meal was the best thing he had ever tasted in his whole life, '_I never knew that he could cook...but even then, how is he able to make such a delicious meal?_'

Apparently the others were thinking along the same lines as him because within seconds of each other, all of the eyes in the room were focused upon their guest. Mousse simply ignored them as he took another sip of his tea, he spared a glance at the shocked look that Ranma was currently showing him and couldn't help the smile that curled his lips.

'_Just as I thought, he still thinks with his stomach. Heh, I'm glad that I took the time to learn how to cook, this just might make this a little bit easier to pull off..._' "If you're all wondering why the food tastes so good, it took two years for me to get this good and experience was all it really took."

Setting down his cup, Mousse leaned onto the table with his arms as he looked over the other's, taking in what had changed about their appearances and what had also stayed the same.

He started with Nabiki. The girl had grown at least an inch and she had filled out more, but as he watched her glancing at the magazine on her leg and back to her food, he knew that those were the only changes.

Next was Akane. She was a surprise in and of itself. Just as her sister had, she had grown in height and had finally started to look more womanly than she used to. But it was her hair and clothes that had Mousse making mental notes for later use.

Her hair was no longer just short but it was spiked out, it almost seemed like she had just woken up and let her hair be, not bothering with brushing it or anything. Her clothes were tight and Mousse could swear that her pants had been painted on, it left nothing to the imagination at all.

Feeling disgusted at that very thought, Mousse moved past Kasumi and let his eyes finally come to a rest upon Ranma.

The Ranma he had known had changed greatly in that time.

He still had his hair in a long braid but it had grown longer and Mousse could practically swear that there were a few red tints here and there. That and the fact that there were what Mousse could only think were charms of some sort at the end of Ranma's pigtail, they were silver and glittered in the light everytime Ranma so much as shifted in place.

Then there was the fact that he had grown taller as well, his head came to about Mousse's forehead. That fact only made Mousse smirk to himself, '_So I am taller than him after all and even taller then his female form, that's one thing that I'm better at now I suppose..._'

His body structure hadn't changed very much, except for the fact that he looked more athletic and had a much more lithe form now than he did before. It seemed that old habits would die hard with Ranma, because if how he was holding himself was any clue, Ranma was a much better and more skilled martial artist now as well.

His clothes were another thing that had changed. Instead of the normal kung-fu pants and shirts that the boy had been known to wear, he was now clothed in an outfit almost akin to those of a ninja.

He was wearing a fishnet shirt and a pair of baggy black pants, because he was inside he had forgone shoes and socks, leaving him barefoot as he sat cross-legged at Mousse's side.

Mousse was about to examine Ranma's appearance some more when the sound of the shoji door being opened broke him out of it. Jerking, Mousse felt an embarrassed blush burn his cheeks when Ranma's eyes briefly met his own.

Turning his head towards the doors, Mousse took several deep breaths and thanked every Kami listening out there for the interruption.

Kasumi had gotten up and was about to open the door when it was practically ripped off its hinges as none other than Shampoo came barreling through, an angry look plastered to her face.

Mousse's eyes narrowed as he slowly got to his feet, walking over and touching Kasumi's shoulder, "I need to go, thank you for letting me help with dinner. I'll see you later Kasumi." Seeing Kasumi nod her head, Mousse smiled, grateful to know that she understood.

He then brushed right past Shampoo and grabbed his jacket. After pulling it on, Mousse turned and bowed low, "it was good to see you all again, but regretfully it is time for me to leave. Good-bye."

And with that, Mousse made his way out of the house, not even sparing a glance at the incensed Shampoo as he passed by. Once he was outside, Mousse let out a depressed sigh, '_that didn't go how I thought it would...oh well...there's always tomorrow._'

Shrugging his shoulders, Mousse walked through the yard and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Sparing a glance up at the darkened sky, Mousse smiled. He loved the rain, after all, storms were unpredictable and were untamable.

Shaking his head at where his own thoughts were going, Mousse started walking down the street, his hands in his pockets as he kicked at a stray rock in his path. The sound of thunder crashed through the air, making Mousse shake lightly as he was caught in a cold gust of air.

He had reached the corner and was about to turn down it when he heard something coming from behind him, it sounded like someone was yelling. His brows knitting in confusion, Mousse stopped walking and turned.

His eyes blew wide at what greeted him.

Ranma was currently running towards him, still barefoot and yelling his name to high heaven.

As he came to a panting stop before him, Mousse felt his heart flutter in hope and surprise. "Ranma...what are you," Mousse paused when Ranma straightened himself. His eyes were dark and filled with something that took Mousse's breath away.

"Why..." Taking a deep breath, Ranma closed his eyes before locking them with Mousse's again. "Why did you leave like that...what...what were you going to talk to me about?"

Hearing another boom of lightning, Mousse glanced about once before grabbing Ranma's hand and walking quickly down around the corner and down the next street. Too confused to struggle, Ranma let Mousse drag him along, "where are we going?"

Smirking, Mousse winked at Ranma and chuckled at the blush that flooded Ranma's face. "To my apartment to talk, after all we have a lot to talk about and I need to keep you out of the rain, alright?"

Ranma could only nod and let Mousse lead the way, all the while wondering, '_just what are we going to talk about if it doesn't have to deal with Shampoo?_'

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A/N- And there we have it. Another chapter done and another on the way. Please review if you have any idea's of where Mousse will be staying and what his job is, I haven't quite figured that out yet...

Till next time...

Ja Ne!


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